Death and Burial: Syria

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Elite burial practices in the large, fortified centers of Syria of the third millennium B.C. have recently been revealed at Tell Banat, located on the left bank of the Euphrates River, and at Tell Umm el-Marra, in the Jabbul plain of western Syria. Unusual burial structures were found at Banat, including a large earthen funerary mound outside the city, one inside the city and an elaborate stone-built tomb of five chambers, Tomb 7. Although the architecture of Tomb 7 is unique, many of its objects have parallels that range from southern Mesopotamia to Anatolia and the Aegean.

The tomb at Tell Umm el-Marra, found with its contents intact, was a freestanding one-room mausoleum located on a high point in the center of the site. Three layers of bodies were interred in what appear to have been wooden coffins lined with textile. Side by side in the top layer were two individuals, one certainly female, in their late teens, each with a baby at the knee. Ornaments of precious materials, such as gold, silver, and lapis lazuli, adorned these individuals. In the middle layer were two adult males with more modest accoutrements of bronze and silver, with a baby to the side. The lowest layer contained only one adult, with a few silver items. The persons buried in both the Tell Banat and Tell Umm el-Marra tombs were probably members of powerful local elites.